Governor Greg Abbott’s recommendations for increased school safety stems from the May 18 deadly shootings at Santa Fe High School near Houston. The tragedy and the debate over guns has had Dallas resident Aasim Saeed thinking back on his time at the school.

People are often surprised by the fond memories I have of growing up in Santa Fe, Texas. I guess in today’s political climate, it’s hard to think that a nerdy Muslim from Pakistan could get along so well in a conservative, largely white town. But I remind them, that when I first moved there in the early ’90s, like most fifth-graders, I didn’t exactly know who I was yet – and so I was pretty adaptable to a new culture, a new identity.